If there were a way to undo mistakes, Li Shiyue would definitely have listened to Xie Yizhi's advice and returned to Chengyu Pavilion immediately, instead of leaving Shousong Hall and wandering around here, getting to know Xu Yunyang face to face.
Even though they were at a distance, she was wary of Xu Yunyang walking up to her, but fortunately, he didn't come closer.
Compared to Xu Yunyang, I suddenly felt that Xie Yizhi's inexplicable estrangement was still acceptable.
"Why is my cousin so indifferent to me?"
Xu Yunyang was wearing an indigo robe today, but unfortunately, when he saw Li Shiyue, even though he suppressed it well, a little bit of ferocity still showed through his gentle features.
He's becoming more and more like Xu Yunyang from his previous life. It seems that, just like in his previous life, his official career isn't going so smoothly either.
“Young Master Xu, what are you saying? When I lived in the Duke’s mansion before, I was never familiar with you. If we were never familiar, how can you say we are distant?”
Li Shiyue smiled slightly, not hiding the smile in her eyes, which Xu Yunyang deliberately interpreted as mockery and sarcasm.
Xu Yunyang maintained a calm demeanor, but his exposed hands gradually clenched, and the veins on his hands became visibly prominent.
"My cousin is really something, as eloquent as ever. We've separated from the family, but I still have the surname Xu, don't I? Now she won't even open her mouth to call me 'cousin' anymore."
Xu Yunyang's eyes were filled with fascination as he traced Li Shiyue's figure. He remembered that outline all too clearly. The more he couldn't have her, the more he couldn't let go of her.
With just one glance, Xu Yunyang suppressed the burning desire beneath him, longing to kidnap her and watch her beg for mercy beneath him. However, it wouldn't be long before he could prove he was no less capable than Xu Yunci, and even more so, someone who had rendered meritorious service to the emperor.
Perhaps it was a reflection of her true feelings, but seeing Xu Yunyang's gradually changing expression, Li Shiyue suppressed the disgust in her eyes and turned to the side: "Whether you are willing or not, you can't force me. There is a difference between men and women, so I won't keep you company."
After saying that, she went back the way she came. The area was spacious, so she quickened her pace and left Xu Yunyang behind, as if Xu Yunyang had no intention of chasing her at all.
Inside Chengyu Pavilion, Li Shiyue raised an eyebrow at Xu Lingwan, who didn't treat her like an outsider. She didn't think that she and Xu Lingwan were in the kind of relationship where they could sit down and chat over tea.
What's wrong with these brother and sister today? Xu Yunyang came first, as if he deliberately ambushed them, and after shaking them off, there's another sister waiting for them for a long time in her Chengyu Pavilion.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, it's customary for friendly families to visit each other. She hadn't expected the second branch of the family to come, and even more unexpectedly, she'd seen both siblings.
“Xu Lingwan, you didn’t come here just to sit in Chengyu Pavilion, did you? Besides, we’re not close enough to chat idly together.”
If she remembered correctly, when she returned, Xu Lingwan and Chunling had been staring at each other for a long time. It was only when she asked Liandong to serve tea that the strange and eerie atmosphere was broken.
She tilted her head slightly, looking at Xu Lingwan's outfit. In fact, she was pretty and at the most delicate age. Especially in the red dress, her skin looked delicate. It seemed that Madam Liu still cherished her.
Xu Lingwan didn't look up, her hands gripping the hem of her dress, biting her lip with a stubborn expression. This was the first time Li Shiyue had seen her like this; Xu Lingwan hadn't shown her that exasperated look, but her eyes were filled with conflict, her brows almost knitted together.
"I'm getting married, no, I'm getting engaged."
Just as Li Shiyue was about to break the silence, Xu Lingwan looked up at Li Shiyue. Without the previous confrontational look in her eyes, her expression softened.
The words that were on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back by Li Shiyue, who looked at her with suspicion: "So, you don't want to get married? You want me to help you get rid of this marriage, right?"
Xu Lingwan shook her head, raising her head with a serious expression. In fact, she had spent more than half a year in Shousong Hall when she was young, studying with her elder sister Xu Lingyu and her grandmother, Madam Xu, before being taken back to Liu's side.
"This marriage was arranged by the Prince of Yan to win over others. He had my brother plead with the Emperor, and the imperial decree will be issued in a few days. I will be married when I come of age, and I will have no choice but to accept it."
“I wanted to tell you that my brother seems to have changed. I don’t understand why he is so determined to persuade our father and mother to leave the Rongguo Mansion. Later, I saw the Prince of Yan at home. At first, my mother was unwilling, thinking that the Prince of Yan was just a prince and not as noble as the crown prince of the Rongguo Mansion.”
"But Father said Mother was too kind-hearted. Later, Father and Brother were promoted one after another. Mother was unwilling, but she didn't say anything. But one day, the Prince of Yan suddenly came to the mansion and gave me a lot of things. He said that the youngest son of the Minister of the Capital Prefecture was interested in me and he came to act as matchmaker. He wanted to ask Father's opinion."
“The Jingzhao Prefecture is my second brother’s place. Even a fool knows that it is a power that the Crown Prince must grasp. After all, it is responsible for the safety of the entire capital and is more powerful than the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review when necessary.”
"How do you know so much?" Li Shiyue asked in surprise. This was different from the Xu Lingwan she knew. She looked at her intently, as if the Xu Lingwan in front of her was more composed.
Xu Lingwan smiled bitterly, but when she raised her head, her neck was stiff, making her look more like the Xu Lingwan of the past.
"What I overheard is that the Prince of Yan now sees the Fan family as unreliable. Consort Fan gave birth to a girl but not a son, so he needs to win over my father and brother and win over other ministers for him."
"And I am the one they want to win over. When my mother found out about this, she almost broke off relations with my father and even wanted me to join the Prince of Yan's mansion."
"Of course I won't agree. Even if I marry someone I don't know, I will be the legal wife, not a concubine. Li Shiyue, the Prince of Yan's target is you. I heard him tell my brother that once this is over, no one in the Rongguo Duke's mansion will be left except for you."
"What do you mean?" This is a strange statement. What does it mean that no one in the Rongguo Duke's Mansion will be left except for her? Does it mean that the Prince of Yan and Xu Yunyang are planning to do something to the Rongguo Duke's Mansion?
Xu Lingwan lowered her eyes and shook her head bitterly: "I'm sorry, I was accidentally discovered later and ran away, I don't know anything about it."
"Why are you telling me this? You should tell your cousin about this. I'm just a maid in the inner quarters. Even if something happens, I can't stop her." Li Shiyue stared straight at Xu Lingwan, trying to see through her expression.
“I may not like you, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to let my grandmother go. If I were to tell my second brother about these things, my father and brother would definitely be in trouble. You’re close to my second brother, and besides, you wouldn’t want the Rongguo Duke’s mansion to be harmed by the Prince of Yan, would you?”
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